Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1887-12-21

Methodist in good an regular stand
ing. Then / drew myself up short.
"It's no use, James Crime !" / said;
you've lost somethin', an you won't
find it unless you find it in them
brown eyes down on the Gray farm"
So / put on my best suit o. clos an
a light overcoat, for il was gettin'
near winter an the nights was chilly,
an / hired a team of the livery stable
at the village where / was stoppin'
an started. But 1 hadn't gone more'n
rod or two when ! turned back.
mo you don't" l says, 60 dressed
up in your very best and behind
hired boss. You amt goin' to take
no such advantage O. the little girl.
Like as not she'll be tired with her
days work, an in her common, every
day dress, an you amt goin' in upon
her all fixed up as if you had no
work to do or nothin'-no, sir, not by
long shot,"
So | took off the shiny clos an
put on the old ones / had on when l
first see her. They was pretty seedy,
but put 'em on, an when I'd hitched
the old mare into the tin-cart l felt a
sight more square an comfortable. l
was no better as fur clos went than
the dear little woman / wanted for
my wife was-as to character. /
thought O. my pipes an rough ways,
an felt way below her. But then l
thought, too, of her brown eyes and
drove on.
1t was just at supper time when
l got to the house, an they all
asked me in to take somethin' with
'em, only Elizabeth Jane, she didn't
pass me too much.
suppose that supper was as long
as common meals, but it seemed to
fly by to me. After we were through
talked crops to the old gentleman,
but watched Elizabeth washin' the
dishes. She was so easy an good to
look at, as she worked, couldn't help
it no how, spite of my determination
to keep my mind on her father, an
my eyes, too. l looked an looked,
an couldn't get enough O. lookin'.
After that l don't jest remember
what happened, but somehow we
found ourselves out on the porch
alone, lookin' at the west that was all
a mass o gold and purple. 1t was
one of them moments that come to a
man now an then an keep him sure
there's heaven-tender an deep and
still. don't mean to say there
wern't no noises, for there were
the tree toads a-singin' an the frogs
a.croakin an the leaves a-rustlin',
but they was still an tender.
Elizabeth" ! says, feelin how
hard it would 60 with me she refused
me. Elizabeth, I've got lots of faults
an amt got no polish like the city
chap to cover EN-, but love you,
dear, an want you for my wife. Do
you s'pose you could care for me like
that?"
| was standin' very near her an
could hear her heart beat fast, but she
answered with a soft little laugh:
you amt got a temper" she says
under her breath, "an' you amt lost
your place on account Of it, an !
think you've made mistake an don't
want me, at least, ! don't see how you
can any way !"
/ didn't waste no words. / knew
my heart told me, the peacefulness
was to be mine; the brown eyes had
what I'd lost in EN- an something be-
sides. jest put my arms round her
in the deep summer night, an held her
fast.
81 love you, temper an ALL" says
"wash-tub an every thing Don't
you care for me jest little?"
Yes" she whispered ba OK, "in spite
O. my temper"
An that's my wife. Elizabeth Jane
that call Mother" now, because
there's another Elizabeth Jane in the
family.
We live Oh the old farm, an barrin
the mistakes that come into all house
keepin' arrangements an have to be
made straight by experience, we've
been as happy as the day is long.
/ still peddle tins, and sometimes
when I'm ridin' along in the evening
! think o bein' without the wife an
home I'm goin' to. an by the weight
in my heart / know how much they
are to. So l say: BLESS the wives
all on 'em but more particularly bless
my wife. Portland Transcript.
Judge-"Stand up"